future of nanotechnology

8/7/2019 future of nanotechnology

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101101an Insider's Guide to theWorld of Nanotechnology

Nano

æ/

Wolfe

www.forbesnanotech.com P u b l i s h e d j o i n t l y b y F o r b e s I n c . & A n g s t r o m P u b l i s h i n g L L

NanotechReport



WHAT IS NANOTECHOLOGY?Until recently,Mother Nature has been the only governing force in

controlling intervention and manipulation of atoms and molecules.

But after three decades of research, scientists can now work at the

nanoscale to manipulate atoms and molecules, and they are able to un-

derstand these building blocks of matter like never before.

I define nanotechnology as the precision placement, measurement,

manipulation and modeling of sub-100 nanometer-scale matter, or

matter that consists of about 4 to 400 atoms. To put that in perspective,one nanometera billionth of a meteris 1/75,000th the width of a

human hair. The range below 100 nanometers is important because

when we get down to this small size, the classical laws of physics change

to give us novel properties that can allow scientists to produce new ma-

terials with the exact properties they desire: smaller, stronger, tougher

than what we know now.

So why should you care? For starters, almost every industry will be

affected by nanotechnology. In a recent study, fewer than 2% of 1,000

top executives were able to define “nanotechnology.” Less than 5% had

even heard of the word. But once the term was explained, 80% agreed

that nanotechnology was relevant to their particular industry. In some

circles, it promises pre-programmable drug delivery robots swimminginside your bloodstream to battle cancer, the creation of pollution-free

energy systems and eternal life. Others, at a more conservative end of

the spectrum, say that nanotechnology will be used to create stronger

materials,next generation computing, and benign, yet salient,advances

predicated on real science. It is the mixture of materials science, engi-

neering, physics, chemistry and biology.

Another reason why you should care: Nanotechnology has got a lot

of support. On December 3, 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush

signed the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research & Development Act

into law. The bill earmarks $3.7 billion in federal funds to nanotech r

search over the next 4 years. Governments worldwide will spen

roughly $4 billion on nanotech in 2004.Besides that, titans of techno

ogy such as IBM [IBM], Hewlett-Packard [HPQ], ChevronTexa

[CVX] and DuPont [DD] are making major contributions to the a

vancement of nanotechnology. What all this means is that nanotec

nology is poised to take off. Smart investors, who are early to dete

where the technology will have the greatest impact, stand to win big

FROM FEYNMAN TO IBMThe modern history of nanotechnology begins in 1959. Richard

Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, delivered a speech called

“There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom.” Feynman told his audienc

that he was unaware of any scientific laws that suggested it would be

impossible to manipulate matter atom by atom. His speech is cred-

ited with inspiring scientists to probe into the nanoscale in hopes o

precisely moving and controlling individual atoms. Feynman even

offered two $1,000 prizes: the first to the person able to create a tiny

cubic motor 0.4 mm in each direction; the second to someone able

to shrink the page of a book by a factor of 25,000 in each direction

(a page about 100 nanometers high). The first prize was actually claimed less than a year after his speech, while the second prize took

26 years to be claimed.

The smaller researchers went, the more difficult it became f

them to see what it was they were working with. But a significant ba

rier to working at the nanoscale was cracked in 1981 by researchers

IBM. They invented a tool called the Scanning Tunneling Microsco

(STM) that allowed them to image samples at the atomic level. F

their efforts, the researchers received the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physic

The researchers at IBM were again responsible for a major leap fo

How Tiny is a Nanometer? 100 m 1 meter (m)

0.1 m100 mm

0.01 m1 cm10 mm

0.1 mm100 µµm

0.01 mm10 µµm

Visible Spectrum

0.1 µµm100 nm

0.01 µµm10 nm

0.1 nm

1 millimeter (mm)

Natural Man Made

1 nanometer (nm)

1 micrometer (µµm)

THENANOWORLD

TH

EMICROWORLD

10-1 m

10-2 m

10-3 m

10-4 m

10-5 m

10-6 m

10-7 m

10-8 m

10-9 m

10-10 m

Ant 5 mm

Head of a Pin1 2 mm

Carbon Nanotube2 nm

Quantum Corral of 48iron atoms

14 nm

MicroElectroMechanical Devices (MEM10 100 µm

Human Hair10 - 50 µm

Red Blood Cells2 - 5 µm

DNA.5 - 2 nm diameter

meter m 100 1m

centimeter cm 10-2 0.01 m

millimeter mm 10-3 0.001 m

micrometer µm 10-6 0.000001 m

nanometer nm 10-9 0.000000001 m

2 • © Copyright 2002 Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Rep



ward when they invented another type of microscope, known as the

Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), which could be used to probe and

image individual atoms. With these new tools researchers were able to

view and manipulate matter at the atomic level, but the instruments

were not widely available and were quite expensive.

At the same time, a group of researchers at Rice University, led by

Richard Smalley, captured public attention by discovering a soccer-

ball-shaped molecule of carbon that exhibited properties unlike any-

thing seen before. It was called a “fullerene” or “buckyball” (after geo-desic dome designer Buckminster Fuller). It consisted of 60 carbon

atoms linked together in a symmetrical pattern. The whole object was

roughly just one nanometer across. Fullerenes can conduct electricity

and heat. They are also stronger than steel and lighter than plastic.

This discovery led to a flurry of excitement over the potential use of

the molecule in applications in markets ranging from healthcare to

construction and manufacturing. For discovering the fullerene, the

discoverers won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996.

The slow,but steady pace of nanotechnology development contin-

ued through the 1980s. In 1989, IBM researchers amazed observers as

they used an STM, a tool which IBM had invented years earlier, to

arrange 35 individual atoms of Xenon to spell out the letters “I-B-M.”This was the first major demonstration of the ability to manipulate

and precisely align individual atoms.

As the 1990s came upon us, the flurry of activity and the pace of

significant discoveries increased. In 1991, NEC Japan researcher

Sumio Iijima discovered carbon nanotubes, a close relative to the

fullerene. The nanotube looked like an elongated fullerene and exhib-

ited similar exciting properties such as ultra light weight and prodi-

gious strength. A nanotube is about 1/6th the weight and nearly 100

times stronger than steel.

The pace of scientific advance has accelerated feverishly in the last

five years. Monthly announcements have highlighted momentous

achievements such as quantum wires, nanotube transistors and single

molecule organic switches. One of the most important recent experi-

ments again took place at IBM. Don Eigler and his research team cre-

ated what is called a “Quantum Corral” by putting a magnetic atom at

one end of an ellipse of atoms and observing that it creates a mirage of

the same atom directly opposite it. The Quantum Corral showed the

potential exists for transmitting information without wires at the

nanoscale.

Researchers’ enthusiasm for nanotechnology was contagious. In

1999, President Bill Clinton announced the National Nanotechnology

Initiative (NNI), the first formal government program to accelerate

the pace of research, development and ultimate commercialization of

nanoscale applications. Other countries quickly followed suit. In 2001,

the European Union approved a budget of more than 16 billion euros

for R&D under the EU Framework Programme. Nanotechnology, a

major theme and priority, was slated to receive nearly 10% of this

funding allocation. Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Israel and

Switzerland have all begun similar measures, quickly accelerating what

is shaping up to be the first truly global race of the 21st century.

NANOTECHOLOGY vs. THE INTERNETThe hype around nanotechnology can be roughly equated to the

hype surrounding the Internet way back in 1993prior to the Internet

boom. Because of this, I believe that the “nano”prefix alone has the p

tential to create a fury of investment activity that will remind many i

vestors of the same, hot-sector, momentum-driven philosophies th

chased the “.com”suffix.

But nanotechnology will be different, and you should be aware

the differences.While the Internet boom relied primarily upon com

puter science and electrical engineering, nanotechnology requires a

integrated understanding of and collaboration between multip

fields of science, including biology, physics, chemistry, materials scence, computer science, mechanical engineering and electrical eng

neering. And, unlike the Internet, nanotechnology companies mu

have tangible products or processes, and cannot merely rely on in

formation becoming quickly commoditized. Balance sheets will ha

significant accounts in property, equipment and other assets, all

which can be valuable in raising needed capital down the road. Th

combination of very high equipment costs, a deep requisite know

edge base and strong intellectual property platforms yields signif

cant barriers to entry for would-be competitors that we did not s

during the dot-com era. In general, there is a greater level of sophi

tication needed for both venture capitalists and entrepreneursn

to mention individual investorsto make intelligent and informeinvestments. This is where the readers of the Forbes/Wolfe Nanote

Report will have an edge.

HOW TO INVEST IN NANOTECHI have identified five major sectors that I believe will be the first t

benefit from a flow of capital for investment in nanotechnology. Th

are: Materials, Modeling, Tools, Devices, and Nanobiotechnology. L

me explain these five investment themes:

MaterialsNanowires, Nanocomposites, Specialty Polymers,

Nanoparticles, Nanotubes, Quantum Dots

With nanotechnology, it is possible to create materials with desir

electronic, optical and chemical properties. However, this is not a ne

idea. Such materials have been around for the past 100 years in th

form of compounds like carbon blacknanoscale carbon particl

thrown into rubber to improve the strength and durability of tires.

The media has closely covered the science,discovery and potent

uses of two nanomaterials: fullerenes and carbon nanotube

Fullerenes can be used for applications like medical imaging and dru

delivery. Carbon nanotubes look like cylinders of rolled-up chicke

wire, but they are stronger and lighter than steel and more conducti

than copper. They can be used as nanoelectronic components. R

searchers have been able to produce them for more than ten years, b

only with recent advances in tools and equipment have the pric

begun to drop to the point where commercial uses could be feasib

Three years ago, the cost of buckyballs was around $600/gram. No

one gram costs about $30 and should cost closer to $10 by the end

the year. Major chemical companies will take advantage of new a

vances and production processes emerging from academia to less

these costs.

The majority of the nanomaterial companies are focused on o

ganic (wet), inorganic (dry) or metal nanomaterials. Most are chara

terized at this stage as having a novel production process that m

© Copyright 2002 Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report



• Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) invented.

Allows researchers to see individual molecules at atomic resolution. Invented by IBM Zurich

Researchers Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Karl Binnig, who then received the Nobel Prize in 1986.

• First scientific paper on nanotechnology published “Protein Design

as a Pathway to Molecular Manufacturing,” by Dr. K. Eric Drexler, suggests that

complex and functional molecular machines can be constructed.

benefit from a defensible intellectual property portfolio. The nascent

markets they serve have small demand, and production is mostly lim-

ited to research-scale or development-scale quantities.

There are opportunities in both public and private companies,

much of the latter in start-up phase. Near-term commercial applica-

tions of nanomaterials will be largely found in nanoparticle-rein-

forced materials and nanoparticle-filled coatings. Nanoparticle-rein-

forced materials provide additional strength or some other desired

property to polymers. Japanese automaker Toyota [TM], for example,uses layered silicates in its cars on fan belt covers. It has also combined

materials at the nanoscale to make bumpers as strong as traditional

ones, but 60% thinner.

Nanoparticle-filled coatings can be used to create scratch resistant

surfaces, anti-reflective coatings and corrosion-resistant coatings for

various metals. Think plastic windshields, lower maintenance and in-

creased ability for vehicles to brave the elements. Nanoparticles can

also have significant advantages over traditional fillers like carbon

black and polymer latexes used in paints because researchers can bet-

ter control and tailor desired properties such as increased heat resist-

ance, stiffness, strength and electrical conductivity.

Nanomaterial start-ups are also looking to create new applicationsfor materials that can be created with novel properties. On the inor-

ganic side, these materials include cosmetics, coatings, displays, bat-

teries, fuel cells and electronics. On the organic side, crossing in

biotechnology, nanoparticles are being made for applications such

gold-encrusted nanoshells capable of enhancing drug delivery to ce

tain cells within the body, near real-time biological warfare agent se

sors and synthetic heart valve materials made with nanostructure

surface features.

Cost-performance analysis, however, will be the big determina

of whether a new material or process is ultimately bought and int

grated. There is little incentive to improve from a micron-sized partcle to a nanoparticle if the former is priced significantly lower and th

quality meets desired standards. Eventually, the market for nanomat

rials will grow to a meaningful size, causing incumbent players

enter the market with greater production capabilities that will in

evitably drive prices down.

Modeling:Atomic and Molecular modeling

and analysis software

In order to design nanotechnology-enabled systems and structure

it is necessary to base designs on what happens when atoms interac

The problem is, in nanoscale science, conventional molecular modeing fails to accurately simulate the behavior of atoms. Below 10

nanometers, the behavior of atoms and molecules is very differe

IN THE BEGINNING:

400 BC • Greeks begin to use the terms “element” and “atom”

to describe the smallest components of matter.

• Richard Feynman Gives Caltech Lecture “There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom.”

Feynman awakens the minds of scientists and engineers in every discipline

to consider the possibility of manipulating matter at the atomic scale.

1900

1980

1959

1974

1897 • Norio Taniguchi coins the term “Nanotechnology.”

The word was created to convey the distinction between

engineering at the nanoscale and microscale, a 1,000x difference.

• Fullerenes (a.k.a. C

“buckyballs”) are disco

• Atomic Force Mic

(AFM) inCal Quate, Christophe

and Gerd Binnig invent

scanning probe mic

enabling the manipu

individual atoms via

contact with a sh

1981

It’s A SmallWorld After All

Major Developments in Nanotechnology

• J.J Thompson discovers the electron.

1960

1970




from what holds true in physics and chemistry. Newtonian, or classical

physics, familiar to us as the principles of gravity or kinetic energy,

breaks down at the nanoscale. Instead, researchers have to rely on

quantum physics, one of the most dizzying and complex areas in ad-

vanced science.

New software will emerge that will be custom tailored for the

nanoscale. We expect a variety of tools that will be a combination of

large-scale databases of molecular knowledge and complex molecular

simulations.There is a rich landscape of unclaimed intellectual property, par-

ticularly in algorithms, that underlie visualization of phenomena at the

nanoscale. There is also opportunity in algorithms that relate to ana-

lytics and data mining, as well as those that focus on how to extract

meaningful information from all of the data scientists obtain.

It is not clear yet what existing software languages will play a dom-

inant role, or if new ones will emerge to better meet the needs of re-

searchers. Common practice amongst researchers needing to collabo-

rate will ultimately lead to standards.

Tools:

Atomic and Molecular modelingand analysis equipment

With more than 300 universities and companies conducting re-

search at the nanoscale, the market for nanoscale instruments

growing rapidly. The primary devices used are AFM (Atomic For

Microscope), STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscope) or some d

rivative of the two.

The STM works by running a very fine metal tip across the surfa

of whatever is being measured. When the tip comes within 1 nanom

ter of the surface, a small voltage is applied and electrons flow from t

tip to the surface. This is the “tunneling”after which the instrument

named; it describes how electrons pass through the gap distancing thsurface from the tip. Feedback to the instrument creates a topograph

scan of it. The major limitation here is that the instruments can only

used for materials that conduct electricity.

The Atomic Force Microscopy technique allows for the measur

ment of both conducting and non-conducting surfaces. The AFM w

also invented by IBM in the mid-1980s. AFMs use a cantilever tip

composed of a single atom, to read a surface at the nanoscale directl

much like a needle running over a vinyl record.

Many advances have occurred with the Scanning Tunneling Micr

scope. STMs are versatile as they can be used in different modes to co

lect measurements. They can be used to create images of surfac

through tactile or physical force,or via electrical or magnetic force, ancan also be used to nudge atoms and move them into place.Don Eigl

a lead researcher at IBM’s Almaden Research center, used the tool

1990

2000

1999

2001

• Cees Dekker and colleagues at

Delft University of Technology in

the Netherlands create a transistor

made from a carbon nanotube.

• James Tour (Rice) and Mark Reed (Yale) create

an organic switch with a single molecule. Vali-

dates theory that nanoscale computational devices

can be created from individual molecules.

• $422 million National Nanotechnology

Initiative launched by President Clinton.

• Don Eigler and colleagues at IBM

create a “Quantum Corral.”

• Hewlett-Packard and UCLA receiv

a U.S. patent for a process to pack

number of different calculatin

functions into a single nanochi

• Scientists at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science create the

rst nanostructures to show compelling properties, leading to the

creation of nanotube “ropes” and prompting worldwide interest

in the physical and chemical properties of carbon nanotubes.

• Warren Robinett of UNC and R. Stanley Williams of UCLAcreate a nano-manipulator a device that is connected to an

STM which allows researchers to see and feel atoms.

• Carbon Nanotubes Discovered by NEC's

Sumo Iijima in Japan

• Richard Smalley receives Noble Prize in chemistry for

his 1985 co-discovery of C-60.

• George Whitesides patterns computer chip circuits only

30 nanometers wide. These circuits have the potential to

give a single chip the ability to operate at speeds greater

than a teraflop, or 4000 times faster than a PC.

• James Tour and colleagues at the University of South

Carolina create the first functioning quantum wire,

consisting of a single molecular chain that formed a

circuit between a gold surface and the tip of an STM.

• IBM researcher Phaedon Avouris creates

the first single-molecule logic gate

• Cees Dekker forms a transistor in a single carbon nanotubethat can be switched On or Off with a single electron.

• Harvard's Charles Lieber uses nanowires in different formations and

combinations to create the smallest light-emitting diode (LED) ever made.

• NNI funding increased by President Bush to $519 million for 2002.

• IBM Zurich researchers develop “Millipede” nanoscale

storage device. Potentially can hold one terabit per square inch,

more than 40 times what today’s hard drives hold.

• EU allocates roughly 1.3 billion euros (U.S. $1.2 billion) from 2002-2006

to nanotechnology research under the EU Sixth Framework program.

• IBM uses

Scanning Tunneling

Microscope to

spell out “IBM” by

moving 35 Xenon

atoms into position,

1989

1996

1991

20

2001

2000

1993

1998

1999

© Copyright 2002 Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report •



1989 to form the letters “IBM” out of 35 xenon atoms.

Caltech has used an STM as somewhat of a modern MRI (Magnetic

Resonance Imaging). While traditional MRIs can only image several

trillion nuclei at one time, the STM technique used by researchers al-

lows for single nuclei detection. Since the system can be used in aqueous

solutions, it has broad implications for identifying single organic mole-

cules and may eventually replace the existing technologies used in bio-

chips and microarrays made by companies like Affymetrix [AFFX].

The most important aspect of STMs is not the microscope itself,but

the cantilever probes with nanoscale tips that are used with it. There

would be tremendous value in creating probes that can integrate multi-

ple functions, such as the detection of thermal,electrical,magnetic,and

optical signals at the nanoscale, onto a single tip.

One of the STM’s weaknesses is that it does not provide chemical

data about a material and is not capable of imaging a sample in three di-

mensions. This weakness opens up a large opportunity for new instru-

ment techniques that can achieve nanometer-scale resolution,while in-

corporating three-dimensionality and multiple-variable measurement.

Government support, coupled with the creation of new laborato-

ries in academia and private industry, will further stimulate the need

for metrology tools to ultimately observe and manipulate matter at the

atomic and molecular level. Manufacturers of STMs and AFMs, acces-

sories such as tips, and other instrume

enhancements will be poised for rapid indust

growth.

Devices:Fabrication Systems, Sensors, In-

formation Technology, Semicon-

ductor and Electrical Components

Nanotechnology promises the next leap computing and information technology. Wh

software and data are downloaded today, th

structure of magnetic disks inside our compu

ers is rearranged at the micrometer level

represent the information. This process w

one day approach the nanometer level, allow

ing the same type of things to occur with ind

vidual atoms and molecules.

Many of these developments will not a

pear for some time, but IBM has made a si

nificant advance in data storage with its Mil

pede system, which should hit the market 2005. It uses a 64x64 array of 4,096 AFM pro

tips to make 50 nanometer indentations in

polymer. This has the potential to create sto

age systems that would hold one terabit p

square inch, a 40-fold increase in data densi

over current technology. Even more impre

sive, it would require less energy than current

used magnetic methods. It should hit th

market in about two years.

Molecular computation (also known

chemical computation) seeks to process info

mation on the molecular level. There are

variety of approaches to molecular computing, ranging from molec

lar switches, which are logic gates that use single molecules to do com

putations, to combinatorial methods, such as putting together differe

molecules like nanotubes and fullerenes to mimic modern circuits.

related approach is through a combination of molecular computin

and electronics, often called molecular electronics. For instanc

rotoxanes are molecular structures that switch their state, going fro

open to closed upon addition or removal of an electron. This mean

that they are an electronic switch about two times smaller than curre

silicon transistors.

The semiconductor industry is also looking to use nanotechnolo

to ensure the continuation of Moore’s Law, which states that compu

ing processing power (and more specifically the number of transisto

on a chip) doubles every 18 months. Intel’s first chip, the 4004 ha

2,000 transistors when it was released in 1971. Today’s most advanc

chips have 100 million. This can be attributed to ever smaller wire

and transistors: less size, higher density, less power used.

Ultimately, Moore’s Law hits a brick wall, as the lithograph

techniques used to make today’s semiconductors are fundamental

limited by the size of a wavelength of light (between 400 and 70

nanometers). Even now, line widths are approaching the nanosca

Nanotechnology, in the form of Atomic Layer Deposition, a techniq

THE NANOTECH EFFECT

INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Chemicals Ability to create custom materials with the specific electronic,

optical and chemical properties desired for a given application.

New combinations and compounds will add strength, reduce

weight, improve resistance or electrical conductivity.

Manufacturing Realization of cost savings from cheaper and more efficient pro-

duction methods.

Computing and Storage Greater than 40x improvements in data storage/retrieval, allowing

for the storage of up to 1 terabit of data per square inch. A new

frontier of computing where matter is as readily programmable

and manipulated as software and lines of code.Non-volatile Flash

Memory, eliminating the need to “boot up”computers

Biotechnology New approaches to drug discovery and drug delivery (enhanced

solubility, bioavailability) predicated on advances at the molecu-

lar level.Biosensors able to detect agents down to the single mol-

ecule. Point-of-care diagnostics and therapeutics.

Semiconductors Extension of Moore’s Law beyond traditional lithography, the

method used to make today’s semiconductors. Lithography isfundamentally limited by the wavelength of light (between 400

and 700nm). Reduction in capital investment cost of chip fabri-

cation facility, now in the tens of billions of dollars.

Energy/Power High-quality nanofilters could lead to great cost savings in the

petrochemical industry since 80 to 90 percent of refining costs

are in separation.Over the next decade,nanostructured catalysts

will have a $100 billion impact on the petroleum and chemical

processing industries. Also will see advancements in hydrogen

storage for fuel cells, lighter-weight materials, anti-static, anti-

corrosive properties for downhole drilling, and tethers for off-

shore drilling platforms.




which places atoms or molecules on the wafer a single layer at a time,

is one of the most promising solutions.

At the microscale and above, mechanical motion is typically con-

trolled either by coupling to other mechanical motion (e.g., gears),

electronic potential (e.g., actuators) or chemical explosions (e.g., fossil

fuels). The motion of nanoscale devices, however, can be controlled by

a wide variety methods which take advantage of quantum physics.For

instance, IBM’s Millipede is a micromechanical device that uses can-

tilevers to read and write to nanoscale pits. The tip interacts with thenanoscale pits by means of thermal coupling. It either melts a small pit

into the polymer surface or deletes the pits by heating the entire

recording surface.

As in the Millipede,MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) will

be essential for accessing information from the nanoscale devices, or

for providing energy and information input to NanoElectroMechani-

cal Systems (NEMS). While MEMS have encountered problems with

friction, multi-walled carbon nanotubes do not exhibit wear and can

therefore serve as strong mechanical bearings. In fact, the space be-

tween the different nanotubes is on the order of nanometers, leaving

no possibility of contaminants getting into the bearings.

Nano-Biotechnology:Tissue Engineering, Sensors, Drug Delivery,

Drug Discovery, Point-of-Care Diagnostics

and Therapeutics

Look no further than your own body to find true nanotechnology in

action. The biological systems at work in our cells and in the nature

around us all contain nanoscale systems. Whether it’s our DNA storing

and transferring information about our genetic makeup or increased

understanding of the calcium carbonite nanostructures used in

seashell construction, nanotechnology holds massive potential for the

health care and life sciences market.

Nanotechnology enables drug delivery mechanisms that can send

biologically active materials directly to the location where they are

beneficial. This could reduce side effects and make pharmaceuticals

more effective. For example, BioSanté Pharmaceutical’s BioAir Pro-

ducts is capable, through using calcium phosphate nanoparticles, of

increasing insulin delivery to the bloodstream and prolonged effective-

ness within the body.

Nanocrystals are even being used in the biocompatible tissue engi-

neering and implant markets. MIT startup Angstrom Medica has

developed a strong bone substitute, entitled NanOss, designed to re-

place conventional metal screws. It allows patients to avoid the stress

fractures and discomfort associated with large, irregular grains in im-

plants. And the screw dissolves safely inside the body.

Despite the litany of advancements in health care and life sciences,

the biotechnology market heralds the most exaggerated notions of

nanotechnology’s promise. Investors must be cautious of claims of

nanoscale robots one day swimming in our bloodstreams looking to

eradicate cancers popularized by movies such as Innerspace. As with

any enabling technology, perhaps nanotechnology could one day lead

to this. For near to medium term investors, however, this is one area

that should definitely be passed over.

NANOTECHOLOGY GLOSSARY

Atom A particle of matter that uniquely defines a chemic

element. It consists of a central nucleus that is usually surround

by one or more electrons. Each electron is negatively charged. Th

nucleus is positively charged, and contains one or more relative

heavy particles known as protons and neutrons.

Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) An instrument that allow

for the measurement and high resolution mapping of boconducting and non-conducting surfaces. The instrument operat

by scanning the sample with a sharp tip (typically micromachine

silicon nitride) attached to the underside of a microscale cantilev

Atomic Resolution Storage Devices that use individual atoms

represent bits of logic (0’s and 1’s) to store data.

Bottom-up The integration and organization (assembly) of atom

and molecules to create more complex structures.

Carbon Nanotubes Boast incredible strength (100 times strong

than steel at only 1/6th the weight), and have the ability to be sem

conducting, conducting or insulating. They are much better coductors of heat than silicon, making them ideal for nanoelectro

ics.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) T

central research and development organization for the Departme

of Defense (DoD). It manages selected basic and applied researc

as well as technology development projects.

“Dry” Nanotechnology Science and technology dealing wi

inorganic materials, such as metals.

EU Framework Program A European Union program design

to support and coordinate regional EU research, technology andevelopment actions.

Feynman Prize Prestigious award given annually by the Foresig

Institute to recognize accomplishments in molecular nanotechno

ogy.Two separate prizes are given: one for theoretical work and o

for experimental work.

Fullerene (a.k.a “Buckyball”) A nanospherical phase

carbon in which 60 carbon atoms are arranged like a soccer-ba

Named after geodesic dome creator Buckminster Fuller.

Informatics The software tools (database management an

integration, and complex mining algorithms) that allow thscientists to capture, visualize and analyze life sciences (bioinfo

matics) and chemical data (cheminformatics).

Lab-on-a-chip The integration of micro- or nano-fluidic (s

“microfluidics” and “nanofluidics”) devices to create the possibili

of automated chemistry on a small device, potentially the size of

microchip. Automated chemistry uses a device instead of a hum

lab technician to conduct experiments and analyses.

Logic Gate An elementary building block of a digital circu

Always in one of the two binary conditions: low (0) or high (1

Change is controlled by voltage levels.

© Copyright 2002 Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report •


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Metrology The science and industry dealing with measurement.

Nanoscale metrology tools include the Scanning Probe Microscope

(SPM), the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and the Scanning

Tunneling Microscope (STM).

MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) Microscale

systems with moving parts that can be controlled externally

through electronic means.

Microfluidics Designing, manufacturing and formulating

microscale devices and processes that can handle volumes of fluidon the order of nanoliters. Microfluidic systems have diverse and

widespread potential applications, including blood-cell-separation

equipment, genetic analysis and drug screening.

Micron One micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter. 1 micron is equal

to 1,000 nanometers.

Millipede Nanoscale data storage device developed by IBM and

set for commercial release in 2005.

Modeling Simulation and rendering of matter to let nanotechnol-

ogy researchers more accurately understand nanoscale phenomena.

Molecular Computing Uses individual molecules as the compo-nents of logic devices including switches, transistors and capacitors.

Molecular Electronics Any system with electronic devices of

nanometer dimensions, especially if made of discrete molecular

parts rather than the continuous materials found in today's

semiconductor devices.

Molecule The smallest particle of a substance that retains the

chemical and physical properties of that substance and is composed

of two or more atoms.

Moore's Law Conceived by Gordon Moore in 1965. States that

computing processing power (more specifically the number of transistors packed on a microchip) doubles every 12-18 months.

Nano The prefix “nano”refers to a billionth of something, usually

a unit of measurement (e.g., nanosecond, nanometer).

Nanocrystal A nanometer sized crystal, typically less than 10

nanometers. Currently used as flourescent markers for the study of

biological materials, but potentially could be used as components

in magnetic storage devices.

Nanodots (a.k.a. “Quantum Dot”) A nanoscale device contain-

ing a single unit of charge. It emits different colors of light

depending on its size. Useful for biological labeling.

NanoElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS) Electromechanical

systems constructed of nanoscale components. At present, most

NEMS in existence, like living cell elements such as ribosomes or

mitochondria, are biological in nature.

Nanofluidics The science of designing, manufacturing and

formulating nanoscale devices and processes that deal with

controlling volumes of fluid on the order of nanoliters or picoliters

(one millionth of one millionth of a liter).

Nanometer One billionth of a meter.

Nanoscale Refers to all things that exist or may occur at the size

several nanometers.

Nanotechnology The precision placement, measuremen

manipulation and modeling of sub-100 nanometer scale matter.

Nanotube A one-dimensional fullerene (see “Fullerene”) with

cylindrical shape. Can act as conductors or semiconductors.

Nanowires A wire with nanoscale width and height (or diam

ter). Nanowires differ from larger wires in that the conductivi

changes in a stepwise fashion in response to a change in voltage.

National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Unites States go

ernment initiative in nanotechnology funding. In 2003, Preside

Bush allocated $774 million to the program and propose

increasing the NNI to $847 million for 2004.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Independent U.S. gover

ment agency that invests over $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,00

science and engineering projects.

Optoelectronics Pertaining to any device that converts electric

energy to optical energy (light) or vice versa. Examples inclu

photocells, solar cells, and LEDs (light-emitting diodes).

Quantum computing Area of study focused on developing com

puter technology based on quantum theory. The quantum com

puter, following the laws of quantum physics (atomic and sub

atomic), would gain enormous processing power through th

ability to be in multiple states, and to perform tasks using a

possible permutations simultaneously. Current leading centers

research in quantum computing include MIT, IBM, Oxfo

University and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) Creates images of tw

dimensional surfaces by scanning a sharp tip (the probe) over

surface.

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) A type of SPM able

image and topographically map surfaces that conduct electricity

atomic accuracy. Invented by IBM in 1981.

Self-assembly The spontaneous formation of an ordere

structure from a given material or object without extern

direction.

Self-replication The process in which an object is able to crea

a replica of itself. Differs from reproduction in that self-replicatio

results in an exact copy of the original.

Top-down The simplification of complex structures by breakin

them into smaller, fundamental components that can be mo

easily understood.

“Wet” Nanotechnology Science and technology dealing wi

organic materials, such as DNA.

NG0403

future of nanotechnology

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